EXTERIOR DECOR

{ Feature }

The Perfect Getaway is Just a Few Feet Away

Turning Your Outdoor Patio into a LIVING EXPERIENCE

Story by Felicia Frazar

Inside homes are living spaces designed with comfort in mind. Cushy chairs, decorative lamps, aesthetically pleasing decor are all brought together to give the homeowner and their guests a place to unwind and relax.

Now, interior designers like Jeff Koehler, of Design Associates, and Amber Ehrlich, of Keepers Interiors, are seeing that inside look and feel make the move outdoors.

“People are bringing the inside out,” Koehler said. “It is taking patios and decks, screened-in porches and making them feel like living spaces. They are not just meant for being outside in the sunshine or the shade. It is meant to feel like a room. It is creating a space that is just another place to go, another escape from the hubbub of life that is thrown at you.”

For some, the days of wrought iron patio furniture are long gone and replaced by comfortable couches set upon outdoor rugs, adorned with decorative pillows and accompanied by tables with lamps and art, Koehler said.

“These are things that can be used inside and outside,” he said. “It is about creating another environment, another place to go that is as comfortable as being in your living room or being in your den or your family room. In some ways that literally looks like a room, rather than just some plants sitting around in pots and wrought iron furniture.”

The furniture and decor are not standard indoor pieces. They are specifically crafted to withstand the elements, repel water and continue to be functional.

It’s a trend that plays off homes creating outdoor kitchen spaces, Koehler said.

“The outdoor kitchen was a natural bend from a regular patio deck situation,” he said. “When they had the grilling that turned into more of an outdoor kitchen, then everything else needed to follow suit and they needed more comfortable furniture and more accessories that you can use outside and are weatherproof. You weren’t just grilling outside, it was becoming a dining experience and becoming a living experience.”

Typically larger pieces, like a sofa, are a neutral solid color, while the accessorizing pieces are more vibrant, Ehrlich said.

“If you’re going to spend a lot of money on one item, like a sofa, you’re going to do a solid or a basic with a little bit of texture,” she said. “Then you can change up your pillows and change up your theme and change with the season. Usually people add color through paint and throw pillows. It is an inexpensive way to change up the color.”

Ehrlich has seen an uptick in customers opting to go the DYI route and use Anne Sloane’s Chalk Paint to spruce up their backyard areas.

“Color brings out happiness and people want to feel that more now,” she said. “As they try to get back to normal, they’re painting things and finding ways to spruce up things. Most people are using bright blues and greens, not the navy blues or burgundies. “

While the furniture aspect isn’t all that new to the outdoor situation, using accessories is, Koehler said.

“I think the biggest shift is really for the uses of accessories — rugs for the ground, the porch, the deck or the patio; art that is weather proof, and lamps that are outdoor safe,” he said. “Water features are still an important part of that. It is about making it a more livable space, not just a patio.”

Outdoor lamps help lighten up the area, while not standing out in the crowd.

“We have a lamp line, outdoor lamps, that are heavier, the bulb is covered to protect it from the elements and the cord is a commercial, outdoor cord,” Ehrlich said. “Those are a lot of fun. The lamps are more monochromatic.”

This trend is picking up more steam as people are finding new ways to make their home — inside and out — more comfortable.

“It is looking more and more like living rooms, comfortable seating that feels like a living room that is providing function and is comfortable,” Koehler said.

Color brings out happiness and people want to feel that more now